Current collecting device



g- 6, 1940- J. MORRIS, JR 2,210,684

CURRENT COLLECTING DEVICE FiledSept, so, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1WITNESSES: INVENTOR Josim rrz's, J11

QR). 214M z- 6 1940- J. MORRIS, JR 2.210.684

CURRENT COLLECTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 30, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig: 6.

WITNESSES: v v I I INVENTOR I Jbsbua Morris, J

Patented Aug. 6, 1940 zaiaes l UNITED STATES 'GFFi E' i l 2310584 1CURRENT ooLLEo'rrNG nnv on Joshua Morris, .lru, Pittsburgh, Pa.,assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, EastPittsburgh, IrT'a., acorporation of Pennsylvania Application September30, 1938, Serial No. 23?,689

Claims. (or 191-591) My invention relates generally to current 001-lecting devices, and it has reference, in particular, to a trolley polehead for an electrically operated vehicle.

The object of my invention generally stated, a

is toprovide a strong and durable trolley pole head for electric trolleybuses, which shall be of simple construction and economical to manu-:facture and maintain in operation.

-A more specific object of my invention is to provide for mounting acurrent collector shoe on a trolley pole head in such manner that theshoe is biasedto substantially the normal operating position and isrotatable about a horizontal axis, whereby the shoe, upon engaging anobstruction, may rotate to clear itself from the obstruction andautomatically return to the normal operating position. a

A further object, of my invention is to provide a current collectingtrolley pole head having a renewable collector shoe so mounted thereinthat the frictional engagement between the collector shoe and thetrolley wire assists in maintainingequal contact pressures along thecontact surface therebetween, and the collector shoe is rotatablethrough a substantial angle about SmhOIlZOIItBJ' axis for clearingoverhead obstructions,

i Another object of my inventionis to provide a trolley bus pole headhaving a collector shoe rotatably positioned in a harp with the centerofrotation thereof located substantially below the line of contactbetween the collector shoe and-the trolley wire, and'adjacent to thetrailin'gqend of thecollector shoe.

uA st-ill' furtherjobject of my invention is to provide a trolley polehead comprising a fabricated body memberfor supporting a rotatable harpin which the collector shoe may be rotatably mounted so as to present acontour substantially continuous with that of the trolley pole and'harp;and reduce the damageto overhead structures upondewirements of thecollector shoe.v

,Yetanother objectof myinvention is to provide a trolley pole headhaving a normally hori-,

zontal current collector shoe which is rotatable throughja substantialangle about a horizontal axis adjacent to the trailing end of theshoefor clearing overheadobstructions, and is provided withretrievingmeans for returning the shoe to substantially the normal operatingposition upon clearing the obstruction.

Other objects will, in part, be obvious and will, in part,'appearhereinafter.

"In practicing a preferred formof my invention, "the trolley pole headmay comprise abody member-adapted to be, mounted upon a trolley pole oran extension thereof, and which may be fabricated from sheet metal ofany suitable nature, and a bearing structure which may be formedintegral therewith in any suitable manner; such as by welding. A harpmay be rotatably supported by the bearing structure, forfacilitatingthernounting of a current collector shoe which maybejsosecured therein as to be rotatable through a substantial angleabout a horizontal axis located below the line of contact betweentheshoe and the wire. Under normaloperating conditions, the frictionalengagement between the collector shoe and the trolley wire may thus beutilized for exerting a force tending to elevate the leading end of thecollector shoe, which force may be substantially balanced against theweight of the leading portionof the trolley shoe, so that the actualcontact pressure between the collector shoe and the trolley wire issubstantially equal at all .points along the contact surface. Thetrolley shoe being rotatable through a substantial: angle about thehorizontal axis will,.therefore, be free to rotate thereabout so astoassume, a position wherein it presents a contour substantiallycontinuous with that of the harp, and clear obstructions, such assupporting wires, when the collector shoe may become accidentallyfdewir'ed. In order to facilitate replacement of the collector shoeupon the trolley wire after a dewirement, means such as a spring maybeprovided for retrieving the collector shoe and returning it tosubstantially the normal operating positionwupon clearing suchobstructions.

For a more complete understanding of "the nature and scopeof myinvention, reference may be had to the following detailed description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is anend elevation View of a trolley pole head embodying apreferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in section and partly in side elevation of thepole head of'Fig. 1;

i Fig. 3 is anenlarged cross-section view along the line III-III of Fig.2;

Fig. 4' illustrates a preferred form of body member punching for thepole head of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation View showing the method of assemblyrof thebodymember and bearing structure in a preferred form of pole head; and

Fig. 6 is an end elevation view of the assembly of Fig. 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the

20, a harp 22 may be mounted in the bearing structure I6 so as to berotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and a collector shoesupport 24, having a substantially fiat upper surface, and downwardlydepending sides 25 may be positioned therein in any suitable manner. Asshown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the support plate 24 ispreferably mounted in the harp upon a transverse horizontal shaft 26 soas to have such a degree of freedom of rotation thereabout that when thecollector shoe I8 is removably secured thereto, by means such as abolt-21 passing through the support plate and threaded into thecollector shoe l8, the collector shoe and support plate may rotate aboutthe shaft 26 sothat the lower edge of the support plate is substantiallyin line with the leading edge of the harp, thus presenting a continuousof the invention, the body member I2 may comprise a sheet metal stamping28 having, for ex- V ample, a shape such as illustrated generally intrally disposed interior bearing flange .33, the

Fig. 4. By any suitable operation, the stamping 28 may be formed aboutits axisof symmetry so that the extending ears 29 and 30, at each sideofone end thereof, meet on the under side, where they may be securedtogether, preferably bywelding, so. as to provide a hollow longitudinalbody member i2 for accommodating the trolley pole extension l4, andhaving. extending cars 32 at the other end for engaging the bearingstruc- Inorder to facilitate manufacture of the trolley pole head, thebearing structure l6 may be made from any suitable material, such, forexample, as a suitable length of tubing, provided with a cenpurpose ofwhich will be explained later, and threaded internally at the lower end.A portion of the upper edge of the bearing structure may be cut away, soas to provide upstanding should'ers 34, as shown in Fig. 5, which may beutilized in limiting the degree of rotation of the harp.

- serting a suitable length of strap into openings 36 in; the bodymember, and welding it thereto. A pin' 38 may likewise be secured to thebody member for positioning a link 39, to which a rope (not shown) maybeattache'd for manipulating the trolley pole and pole head.

Referring again to Figs. 1 and 2, it may be seen that in order torotatably mount the harp 22 in the bearing structure [6, a stem member40 may be provided, having anextension 4| at its upper end for engagingthe harp 22, a shoulder 42 located adjacent thereto, and a threadedportion at the lower end for receiving a nut 46. Suitable bearing means,such as the roller bearings 48, which are adapted to be positionedwithin the bearing structure I6 on either side of the bearing flange 33,may be provided for facilitating the rotation of the stem member 40. Bypositioning the roller bearings 48 in the bearing structure It andinserting the stem member 40 therethrough, with the flange 42 upwards,placing a washer 56 on the threaded lower end of the stem and drawing itup against the lower roller bearing 48 by means of the nut 46, the stem49 may be secured in the bearing structure so as to require a minimum ofeffort to effect rotation thereof. A bearing cap 52, prowded with alubricating fitting 54 of any suitable nature, for facilitatinglubrication of the bearings 48, may be inserted in the threaded end ofthe bearing structure it to seal the structure against the entrance ofdirt and moisture.

The harp 22 may be attached to the extension 41 of the stem in anysuitable mannerto provide arigid connection ther-ebetween. In thisinstance, the extension 4| is threaded and the harp 22 comprises a basemember 54, provided with a suitable threaded opening 55 for receivingthe extension 4!, and upstanding side portions 56 which have backwardlysloping front edges. The harp may then be positioned on the stemextension 4! and locked thereto by any suitable means, such as the tapbolt 50, which may, for example, be threaded into the extension 4| 'soas to draw a washer 62 against the base 54 of the harp, to forceitagainst the shoulder 42. A suitable stop 63 may be provided for limitingthe rotation of the harp, by positioning a screw or rivet in the base ofthe harp so that the head thereof engages the shoulder portions 34 ofthe bearing structure when the harp'has rotated through the desiredangle. t

' In order to facilitate the mounting of the col-' lector shoe l8 sothat it may have a substantial transverse opening adjacent to thetrailing or rear 5 end of the plate, and the upstanding side portions 56of the harp may be provided with oppositely disposed-transverse openingstherein, for receiv ing the transverse shaft 26. The location of theseopenings is such thatwh-en the collector plate 24 is positioned inoperating relation with the harp 22 by the shaft 26, the collector shoel8 and the support plate 54, to which it is secured, may rotate throughsuch an angle that thelower edge of the support plate formssubstantially a smooth continuation of the leading edge of the harp. Thepossibility of the pole head damaging overhead support wires, etc., upona dewirement of the collector shoe is thereby greatly reduced.

.As the collector shoe I8 and plate 24 are free to rotate about theshaft 26 through a substantial angle, suitable means, such as the coilspring 66, may be provided in association with the support plate 24 andthe harp 22 for biasing the collectorshoe to substantially the normaloperating position when free, and effecting the return of the collectorshoe to substantially the normal operating position after it may havebeen rotated about the shaft 26 in clearing some overhead obstruction.For example, the spring 66 2,216,684- may'be'coiled about the shaft 26at eachside of the body member l2, and suitable' connec'tion" madethereto by means of a terminal 13, so as to' provide a good electricalconnection between the collector shoe |8 and thebody memberlZ, thuseliminating the necessity for conducting current between any of themovingparts of the-supporting structure.

As shown in Fig. 3,'the pole head may be removably secured to thetrolley pole extension M by bolts 15 which pass transversely through thebody member I2 and engage in interlocking relation with the extension.

It may be seen, therefore, from the above description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, that I have provided'atrolley pole head which may be simply and economically manufactured, andwhich is light in weight and of a durable construction. The life of thecollector shoe 18 may attaina maximum, as by utilizing the frictionalengagement between the collector shoe and the trolley wire to balancethe weight of the oficenter portion of the shoe. To obtain substantiallyequal contact pressures between the collector shoe and the wire alongthe entire contact surface, the wear on the shoe is thereby distributedand made more even. By providing for rotation of the collector shoeabout its horizontal axis, the shoe may readily clear itself fromoverhead obstructions upon the occurrence of a dewirement, thus reducingthe hazard of damaging the overhead system, and by providing retrievingmeans for quickly effecting the return of the collector shoe to thenormal operating position after dewirement, it may be easily replaced onthe trolley wire in a minimum of time.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction, anddifferent embodiments of the invention may be made without departingfrom the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description, and shown in the accompanying drawings, shall beconsidered as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. g

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for collecting current from a trolley wire comprising, abody member adapted to be secured to, a trolley'pole, a harp rotatablysupported thereby, a current collecting shoe pivotally supported by theharp for engaging the trolley wire in a normal operating position, saidshoe being free for rotation about a horizontal axis for clearing anobstruction, and means for returning the shoe to the normal operatingposition after clearing said obstruction.

2. A current collecting device for an electric vehicle comprising, abody member head disposed to be secured to a trolley pole, a harprotatably supported thereby, a current collecting shoe pivotallypositioned in the harp about an axis adj acent to one end thereof forengaging a trolley wire in a normal operating position and disposed torotate about said axis to clear obstructions inga spring member;associated with the shoe and the harp for retrieving the shoe to thenormal'operating position upon clearing the obstruction. 1

3.A current coll'ectingdevice for an electric vehicle comprisingfa bodymember disposed to be securedto a trolley pole, aharp rotatably mountedthereon,-a current collecting shoe for engagingatrolley wire pivotallysupported in the harp about a horizontal axis adjacent to the trailingend of the shoe and below the line contact between the shoe and the wirefor utilizing the frictional resistance between the shoe and the wire tomaintain substantially equal contact pressures along the contactsurfacebetween the shoe and the wire in the normal operating position, saidshoe being free to rotate through a substantial angle about said axisupon encoun tering an obstruction, and means for retrieving the shoewhen free of the wire to the normal operating position subsequent tosuch rotation.

4. A device for collecting currentfrom a trolley wire comprising, a bodymember adapted to be detachably secured to a trolley pole, a rotatableharp supported thereby, a current collecting shoe having a longitudinalgroove inone side for normally engaging a trolley wire, a support platefor positioning thecollector shoe'in the harp, said plate beingpivotally mounted in the harp and rotatable about a horizontal axisadjacent to the trailing end thereof, a spring member associated withthe support plate for returning the collector and support plateto thenormal position subsequent to such rotation, and shunt means forconnecting the support plate to the pole head.

5. A current collecting device for an electric vehicle comprising, abody member adapted to be secured to a trolley pole, a stem membersupported thereby for rotation about a vertical axis, a harp secured tothe stem, a support plate pivotally supported by the harp on an axisadjacent to one end of the plate, a collector shoe secured to thesupport plate for normally engaging a trolley wire, said support platebeing rotatable through substantially 180 about said axis to allow theshoe to clear obstructions upon a dewirement thereof, and means forretrieving the shoe to substantially a normal position subsequent to adewirement.

6. A current collecting device for an electric vehicle comprising, apressed steel body member disposed to be removably secured to a trolleypole, a tubular bearing member integrated with the pole head by welding,a harp rotatably supported by the bearing member for rotation about avertical axis, a current collecting shoe supported by the harp formovement about a horizontal axis adjacent to one end of the shoe forengaging a trolley wire, said shoe being capable of'rotation from thenormal position upon striking an obstruction, and spring means forreturning the shoe to the normal position upon clearing the obstruction.

'7. A device for collecting current for an electric vehicle comprising,a body member of pressed construction disposed to be secured to atrolley pole, a tubular bearing member integrated therewith by welding,a rotatable stem supported by the bearing member, a harp secured to thestem, a support plate positioned in the harp for rotation about ahorizontal axis adjacent to the trailing end, a current collecting shoesecured to the support plate for normally engaging a trolley wire, saidshoe and plate being rotatable about the upon dewirement or the shoe,and means meme horizontal axis to clear obstructions upona de wirementof the collector shoe, and means associated with the support plate forretrieving the collector shoe to substantially the normal posi, tionafter clearing the obstruction. r 8. A current collecting device for anelectric vehicle comprising, a body member adapted to be removablysecured to a trolley pole, a trolley harp rotatably mounted on the bodymember, means integral with the body member for limiting the degree ofrotation of the harp, a support plate rotatably supported by the harpfor movement about'a transverse axis adjacent to the trailing end of theplate, a collector shoe removably secured to the plate for normallyengaging a trolley wire, said plate being adapted to rotate about saidaxis through-substantially for permitting the collector shoe to clearobstructions upon dewirement, a resilient member for returning thecollector shoe to substantially a normal position upon clearing theobstruction, and flexible shunt means connecting the support plate tothe pole head.

9. A current collecting device for an electric vehicle comprising, abody member of pressed steel having a tubular bearing member integratedtherewith by welding, a harp supported by the bearing member forrotation about a vertical axis, a support plate mounted in the harp foroscillation about a horizontal axis adjacent to.the trailing endthereof, a current collecting shoe having ,a longitudinal grooveon oneface for normally engaging a trolley wire detachably secured to thesupport plate and rotatable there with about the horizontal axis uponencountering an obstruction, a flexible shunt member connecting thesupport plate and the pole head, and spring means for returning thecollector shoe to the normal position upon clearing an obstruction.

10. A current collecting device for an electric vehicle comprising, abody member disposed to be removably secured to a trolley pole, a harpmember supported thereby for rotation about a vertical axis, a supportplate having a substantially flat upper face positioned in the harp forlimited rotational movement about a horizontal axis adjacent to thetrailing end, a current collec-' tor shoe mounted on the support platewith the horizontal axis of rotation thereof adjacent to the trailingedge of the shoe so that the leading edge of the shoe will be free torotate about the horizontal axis of the support plate upon encounteringan obstruction, a flexible shunt for connecting the support plate andthe pole head to provide a fixed current path, and spring means biasingthe current collector shoe and support plate to a current collectingposition.

JOSHUA MORRIS, JR.

